Marking or numbering machine.



F. W. MERRHJK.

MARKING 0R NUMBERING MACHiNEL APPLICATION FILED um 13, 1911.

1,172,897. mmed Feb.1916.

I inventor;

581; ,-.//1w U" Qmwvmu F. W. MERRECK.

MARKING 0R NUMBERING WACHWE, APPucATum FILED 1AN.13. mnf

1,172,897. Pateiltd Feb. 22,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' operated upon and removed.- 1

therein to the accompanying drawings The invention consists 1n awork-support ing or numbering successively sheets, wa es;

:in a. self-adjusting work-support orb acking, the position of which is automatically "positions inwhich they'f hzivet-beenset with the-aid of the knurled headortwheel 181, v

34 is the lever likerocker byt which the. -type head carrier is supported and through E which movement is transmitted"thereto,-" 3? being the center-screwsbjWhich cheu p'e'r In the preferred mode carrying the in- I terial. 1

mfrE STATES? PATENT OFFICE,

ream; w. MERRICK, or MACHINE COMPANY,

cnusmrs.

a citizenof. the United States. residing at;

Boston, in the countyof SuffolkQStateof Massachusetts, have invented va certain rnevm and 1 useful Improvement in Marking or Numbering Machines, of which theifollow ing is a specification, reference being had 0r backing" for marking and numbering machines, and isof a. ch-aracter;... which adapts it more especially for use in mar or articles which areapplied theretoinpiles or bundlesand respectively removedFafter/r successively being markedor'numbered bye. p

1 -ner and, type carr1ers;, ande amovable printing-head while supported or backed up by the said work support 0r" backing, the remainder of the pile or bundle, remaining in place until each sheet, page or article composing the same has in turnbeen More particularly, the inventioneco nsists controlled by the work, such position being fixed by the thickness of the pile or bundleof work.

vention int-o efl'ect the work-support o'r backing is movabiy mounted, and is pressed yieldingly toward the printing-face, and has -combined therewith means forintermitr' 'tingi v locking and releasing the same. Such means operates to release the worlcsupport or hacking for the impression, permitting. the automatic adjustment with relation to the printing-face to occur through contact of the printing surface with the Work, and then locks the Work-support or hacking to retain such adjustment during the time that the printing-face is separated from the ma- An embodiment'of the invention in i preferred form is showri in the-drawings,-

V in which latter,

:Fi iire l is a partly-sectional side den-s1 Specification-oi Letters recent; 1 I

Application flied January 13, 1911.

;;elevation of MARKING on NUMBERING miracnnir.

BOSTON, MAssAoHusE'rTs,.assronon ro rowiae NUMB E IN 012 BOSTON, massacnussrrs, .a'conrolmrron on massa- Fig, ifaaa device rvhi ch; is com-.1

Zontal c i9t inhlplan'ej 2,; eokin v'veiva d F v i h fachm tions' brolrenaw'ay 1 and cheek p1eces 2 I, the-itypeeheadg pe-head carriery thef supportmg and operating mechanismfor itheit e nking-de i. woes, of -the.rnachineaofgthefputent, the-same:- reference characters bein aa'ppliedirthereto for the type-carriers, for lockingthem in the tween the cheek-pieces 2, 3, of 'the'machine 39 is the radius-arm which assists in com 1.215 in. the patent. 'Y3l is' t TSaidj't'ype-head carrier, and '14. one ofthe;jside-pieces or checks of the. type-head, one "of the type' carriers, 1'. e.-,. type-wheels; being :shown-at-ai' 15, Fig. 1;, and 2T arerfthe finovahle 'det'ents;

1 35 being the center-screws -by which thebOdY-POIUOII of the1.rockeri isxnounted be trolling the path of movement of the typehead carrier and the type-heed, 42*l5eingthe center-screws by which the front e'hd of the said radius-arm is conn'eetedtpivotally with the carrier, and 40 being theyscrewsi by which the rearend of the radius-arm is mounted pivotally between the cheek-pieces @272 is the counter-balancing' spring havingK tionuf e marking'machine having the said one. end thereof engaged with the reanamn embodiment of the invention appliedthereq'rofjrocker 34 and the'othergendsthereof mi-.

57 is the pitman or connecting-rod which joins the rear arm of the rocker 34c to the actuating crank 58 on the short shaft 59 carrying the loose spur-gear 66 meshing with the pinion 65 on the power or driving shaft 62, the latter carrying the bandpulley 63 receiving the driving-hand (it through which driving-shaft 62, spur-pinion 65 and spur-gear 66 are-continuously driven. As in the patent aforesaid, a clutch is providedin connection with spur-gear 66 by means of which it may be made fast to the crankshaft temporarily at the will of the operator, for the purpose of enabling the machine to be actuated to print.

At 44 is the ink-pad, and at 45 the ink-pad carrier, 47 being the center-screws by which the rear end of such carrier is mounted pivotally between the cheek-pieces 2, 3, and 49 being the link by which the ink-pad carrier 45 is connected with the arm' 31of the typehead carrier 31 for the purpose of causing the ink-pad carrier to be operated with timing properly coordinated with the movements of the type-head carrier and typehead.

It will be understood that crank-shaft 59 normally stands at rest, with crank 58 in a depressed position, and with the type-head carrier and type-head in an elevated posi tion and stationary. It will further be understood that when the operator operates the clutch to make the spur-gear 66 tem- I herein shown and described, and as in my porarily fast with the crankshaft the latter is thereby caused to make one rotation, the effect of which is to depress the type-head carrier and typehead to carry the printing surfaces to printing position, and then raise the type-head carrier and type-head to their original position, where they remain until the action is to be repeated. The drawings show the type-head carrier and type head nearly, but not quite, depressed to the printing position.

he type-head, and the means and manner of supporting and operating it, may be as Letters Patent aforesaid, or may be constructed, supported, and operated otherwise, as preferred.

Referring now to the work-support,at 5 isthe work-sup orting arm or rocker of the patent aforesaid, it being shown mounted pivotally at its rear end between cheekpieces 2, 3, of the machine-frame by means of center-screws 9, 9, as in the patent, 11 being the spring-actuated pin of the patent, carried by the arm or rocker and resting by its lower end upon base 1 of the machineframe to yieldingly sustain the arm or rocker 5 in its normal position, and 12, 12" are the adjusting and lock-nuts of the spring that is employed in connection with the said pin. To the work-supporting arm or rocker 5 I apply the work-supporting plate and the hollow, and receives within it'an expanding spiral spring I), which latter, as will be seen, is completely housed and concealed within the stem or standard and the. guide-socket. The spring by its expansive power tends to support the work-supporting plate or.surface a, and also move it toward the typehead. Provision is made for regulating the tension of the spring, by means of the collar b upon which the lower end of the spring rests, and the adjusting screw 1) for such collar, the said screw extending through' a plain hole in the bottom of the guide-socket,

a, it being held from endwise movement bycollars above and below said bottom, and its threaded stem being in screw-threaded engagement with the collar.

In connection with the work-support or backing a I employ an intermittent lock by which, at times, the work-support or backing is locked from movement under the action of the spring. This lock acts in conncc' tion with a pin a which extends down from the work-support or backing at one side of the stem or standard a, and works through a hole in a-luga projecting laterally from the exterior of guidesocket (1- The pin fits the hole, and not only holds the work-support or backing from turning in a horizontal direction, but is furnished with an enlargement or head a at its lower end which serves by engagement with the bottom of the lug a to limit the extent of the rise of the worksupport or backing when not otherwise restrained. The lock comprises a dog, constituted 'by a lever c which is entered at its engaging end ,within a vertical slot in the rear side of lug or block a, and mounted therein upon a transversely-extending pivotal pin a such pin being locked in place by a clamping-screw 0 Figs. 1 and 3. Dog 0 has connected therewith one extremity of a contracting spiral spring d, which is engaged with a screw (1' carried by the tail of the dog, the other extremity of the said spring being engaged with a screw d applied to the lower'end of guide-socket a. The dog is provided with an eccentric en- 'a in )ortion as shown inFi 2 which" D h 1 O i when the spring (I is permitted to actuate the dog bites against the pin a and thereby locks the work-support or backing from movement under the action of the spring b. Provision is made for disengaging the dog from the pin a at the desired times in the working of the machine, to free the worksupport or backing at such times to the action of spring I). In the present instance, a rod 6 is pivotally connected at its upper end, as at e, with an extension 0" of radius-arm 39, projecting rearwardly beyond the centerscrews by whichthe radius-arm is mounted between the cheek-pieces 2, 3, of the ma chine-frame. The lower end-portion of the rod 0 passes through a hole in the tail of dog 0. Below the said tail it carries a collar e which is screwed upon the screw-threaded endportion of the rod, and isadjustable on said end-portion in the direction of the length of the rod. 1

As the type-head carrier and, type-head are actuated through the mechanism for such purpose which has been described, the radius-arm is caused to swing upon its supporting center-screws 40, in consequence of itsconnecticn by the center-screws 42 with the type-head carrier. The swinging movement of the radius-arm operates to occasion a movement of rod e in thedirec'tion of the length of the rod; Each time the type-head carrier and type-head move upward away from the worksupport or backing, the rod e is moved in the. direction to carry the collar 6 away" from thedog-c, leaving the latter free to the influence of'its spring d, and permitting the said spring to cause the eccentric portion of the dog to bite'against'pin a, so as to lock the work-"support or backing a. Each time the type-head carrier and typehead move'dow n'ward toward the work-supsort or backing, the rod 0 is moved in the irection to carry collar e against the dog :c, and'mo-v'e the latter so as'to relieve the pressureof the eccentric portion against the pin 0, thereby unlocking the work-support or backing.

In practice, the parts are arranged and adjusted so that while the printing-surfaces of the type-carriers carried by the type-head are separated from the material upon the work-support or backing -.the work-support or backing is locked, and so that it continues locked until in a subsequent printing move ment of the type-head carrier and type-head the said printing-surface returns to the printing plane. At substantially this moment the engagement of collar 6 with dog 0 unlocks the work-support or ba king, leaving it free either to be depressed by pressure of such printing surface upon the top of the material. resting upon the work-support or backing, until the top of the material has been pressed down to the printing-plane, or to be raised by the spring I) until the top of the material and the printing-surface take proper bearing against each other. In either case the tension of the spring bproduces the contact required for the printin As the return movement of thejype-hea carrier and type-head begins. the reverse movement of rod 0 and collar 0 releases the dog 0 to the action of spring (I, which immediately causes the dog to lock the work-support or backing in the position it has been caused to assume by the pressure of the printing-surface upon the top of the material, and the dog holds the work-support or backing locked in such position until thenext printing action takes place, when, as the printing-surface approaches the printing-plane another release of the work-support or'backing, and automatic adjustment thereof, take place.

It will be obvious that the positionof the work-support or backing in relation to the printing-surface is determined by the. thickness of materialinterposed between the two.

The invention is useful in various connections in practice, and particularly for printing shoe-linings, pieces of leather. constituting ramps or quarters of shoes, or other pieces or parts composedof sheet material which are handled in.bundles.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a marking or numbering machine, in combination, aprinting head havinga reciprocating printing stroke, a. work-support in the line of the said printing stroke, an intermittent lock operated independently of the pressure against. the .work,- releasing the work-support as the printingsurface' closes upon the work, .andopcrating ,whilepthe' printing head is withdraumto retainthe work-supportin the positiongiyen to it by contact of the printing surface with the work, and means for operatingthe unlock-ed work-support toc'ause the work to meet the printing surface asthe printing head makes its stroke, and also totake proper bearing against the printing surface. for the-impression, in addition, to permitting the worksupport to adjust itself under pressure of the. printing surface against the work until the printing head has reached the limit of the printing stroke.

2. In a marking or numbering machine, in combination, a reciprocating printing headfiand aself-adjusting work-support or backing, located in the line of the printing stroke of the printing head, controlled as to its position during printing and subsequently by the thickness of the worlnand supporting the work for theimpression,

3. In a marking or numbering machine, in combination, a reciprocating printing head, a work-support or backing, springactuated to meet the type and support the work for the impression and type-actuated in the opposite direction, and an intermittent loek releasing the work-support or backing for the impression and then re-locking the same.

4. In a marking or numbering machine, in combination, a reciprocating printing head, a work-support .or backing located in the line of the printing stroke, actuated by In testimony whereof I alfix my signature yielding force to carry the work to meet the in presence of two witnesses. printing head and support the work for the impression, and a lot: normally holding the FRANK MERRICK' work-support 0r backing in fixed posltion Witnesses: and released by the printing head as the lat- \CHAs. F. RANDALL,

ter arrives at the printing point. NATHAN 1 B. DAY. 

